July 5, 2006

nuclear scientist responds to reports of reactor cracks

An article in The Guardian newspaper today reported inspectors’ safety fears over cracks found in British Energy’s advanced gas-cooled nuclear reactor cores (AGRs). This was widely reported in other areas of the media.

The original article can be found at The Guardian’s website.

Dr Robin Grimes, Professor of Materials Physics, Imperial College London, said:

“The AGR reactor design is based on a graphite moderation of neutrons combined with cooling using carbon dioxide. This approach was abandoned 25 years ago, not because of any technological fear but because of the superior economics of a pressurised water reactor design (PWR) which does not use graphite core. The UK switched to PWR when it built Sizewell B and this is why the UK will only be considering PWR designs for any immediate new build.

The AGR reactors are getting towards the end of their original design lifetime and as such it is hardly surprising that they will be subject to a greater degree of inspection, as would be the case for any engineering structure.”